Senate moves closer to confirming Barr as attorney general

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general could be in office by the end of the week after senators voted to move forward on his nomination. The Senate voted 55-44 on Tuesday to proceed with William Barr's nomination, setting up a confirmation vote in the next day or two. Three Democrats voted with Republicans — Sens. Doug Jones of Alabama, Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona.

February 13, 2019

Republican Sen. Rand Paul voted against moving forward on the nomination. Paul has criticized Barr's record on surveillance issues. Barr, who previously served as attorney general from 1991 to 1993, would succeed Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Sessions angered Trump by recusing himself from the Russia investigation and was pushed out last year.

In order to enable essential services and functionality on our site and to collect data on how visitors interact with our site, products and services we use tools such as cookies. By using our website, you agree to our use of these tools for advertising and analytics. More Info